Filmmakers to resume shooting this week
Filming has been suspended for about two months in Dhallywood. Work of many movies came to a halt, some with just a week’s shooting left.
The directors and producers of such films want to resume shooting soon to finish the work.
“We will allow shooting. Everything is restarting from the beginning of June, so why should we shelve our shooting?” said Khorshed Alam, president of the Bangladesh Film Producers Distributors Association.
“Corona will not disappear until a vaccine is invented, but we cannot remain idle till them. We have no income, we have to work accepting the reality of coronavirus”
“Many producers and directors want to finish their work and have contacted us. How much longer can shooting be held up? Work must go on. The industry is in a bad condition as it is and it will be destroyed if work is postponed for so long.”
He said shooting would be carried out in keeping with the government’s health directives.
“Corona will not disappear until a vaccine is invented, but we cannot remain idle till them. We have no income, we have to work accepting the reality of coronavirus,” said director Dipankar Dipon. Dipon completed most of the work of his film ‘Operation Sundarbans’ before shooting was postponed. The film is being edited while the rest of the shoot is to take place in Dhaka.
Meanwhile, shooting of television serials has been allowed already while the decision for movies may appear this week.
Another director Shamim Ahmed said he had two films—‘Commando’ and ‘Bikkhov’—to finish once the restrictions are lifted. ‘Bikkhov’ is almost finished with shooting remaining for only two or three days. “I’ll finish it this week if allowed,” he said.
Meanwhile, shooting of television serials has been allowed already while the decision for movies may appear this week.
“We’ll talk to all the associations. We will meet on 2 June. There’s no alternative but to resume work. We may announce the resumption this week, but the shooting units must maintain the highest precautions. We will monitor this too,” said Shamsul Alam, general secretary of Bangladesh Film Producers Distributors Association.
“It’s the shooting of film and so one cannot work with small units. I would observe things for a month before taking decision. If any one of the units is infected, none of the team including the hero or heroine would continue work out of fear.”
Noting that many in the film industry are suffering due to an income crisis, Badiul Alam Khokon, secretary general of Bangladesh Film Director’s’ Association, said, “Corona is not going away, so we must resume work taking precautions.”
Director Raihan Rafi, however, does not talk on the same note despite having two films—‘Ittefaq’ and ‘Poran’—in hand. “It’s the shooting of film and so one cannot work with small units. I would observe things for a month before taking decision. If any one of the units is infected, none of the team including the hero or heroine would continue work out of fear.”
Shooting of films was closed since 25 March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
*This report, originally appearing in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten here in English by Nusrat Nowrin.